Locomotive-boiler-output control



Feb. 25, 1930. c, G. HAWLEY LOCOMOTIVE BOILER OUTPUT CONTROL Filed March 5, 1926 a Q :ID 0.

amen t Patented Feb. 25,1930

- Um ST'EES PATENT OFFICE V I CHARLES simmer HAWLEY, on CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIGnon TO CENTRITFIX COR- PORA'IION, OF CLEVELAND, 01-110, A CORPORATION OF OHIO LOCOMOTIVE-BOILER-OUTPTJ'I CONTROL Application filed March 5, 1926. Serial no. 92,478.

7 My inventionrelates toa method of and means for controlling the steam output of boilers to the end that the steam shall leave the same in a dry and clean state or reversely tothe end that the boiler water shall be retained in the boiler and prevented from escaping at the steam outlet along with the steam. i

' In the operation of steamboilers generally, 10 and particularly, in thecase of steam locomotives andi'marine boilers serious difiiculties are experienced because of'the surging of the boiler water. Added to by the violent and unequalliberation ofsteam at different points I in theboiler, the surging'so disrupts the steam disengagement surface as to throw masses or slugs of'water into the steam space, with the result that much of it is carried away through the. outlet or nozzle'by the escaping steam.

I 2 Thus, the steam leaving the boiler becomes a vehiclefor moisture and solids and in many nstances large quantities thereof pass lnto the engines, 1 turbines, and other steam units,

' "which should receive only 'dry clean steam fromthe'boiler. Any steamsuperheater that maybe interposed is. likewise fouled and rendered-ineflicienta' i The objects of my invention are to overcome these difficulties and to avoid the mainsoftenance' and equipment costs involved there- As'will become apparent, my invention inseveral of its embodiments, is of general applicability and Will be found to be of advantage in all steam boilers and evaporators, whether working under pressure or vacuum.

- But in; the drawings that form part of this specificatiomth'e invention is illustrated in that form which seems best adapted to loco 40; motive boilers, where the difficulties to be surmounted are the greatest.

In the drawings, Fig. l is a transverse vertipipe and the pool structure is also somewhat modified.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line yy of Fig. 3.

It will be seen that only the upper middle portion of the locomotive boiler is shown in the drawings. The wrapper sheet is marked 2. The upper forward corner of the fire box is marked 3, and the fines 4E. The shell or barrel of the boiler is marked 5, and the dome, 6, and the dome cap,'6. The steam outlet or socalled drypipe is marked 7, and, as usual, leads to the front end of the boiler; At the rear end of drypipe is a standpipe 8, which extends into the top of the dome. As shown n Fig. 1, the standpipe maybe equipped with a throttle valve 9, or it may have a simple open upper end, as shown at 10 in Fig. 3, the latter being characteristic of a construction in which the throttle valve is arranged at the forward end of the drypipe, usually in the smoke box.

The part of the shell or barrel which is covered by the dome 6, contains a large opening 11, through which the standpipe 8 rises; and through which access may be had to the interior of the boiler when the dome cap 6' is removed.

The normal water level is indicated by the line WVL. The surface thus indicated will also be referred to as the steam disengagement surface. In modern locomotives, the boilers are ofsuch great size as to leave little clearance spaceat the top and the steam domes are very low. Perforce, the said disengagement surface dangerously approaches the level at which the steam escapes into the top of the standpipe or outlet. Unless preventive means be used it is inevitable that water shall be elevated from the disengagement surface and discharged through the outlet with the steam. Assteam outlet velocities ranging from 6,000 to 12,000 feet per minute are common, it should be apparent that although moderately dry steam is secured from high domed, small locomotive boilers, in the case of the larger locomotives the supply of dry steam is de feated, for, in fact, every tendency seems to be directed toward emptying the boiler of water, as Well as. of; steam. These tendencies are aggravated whenever the disengagement surface is fouled with impurities and worse when actual foaming conditions are encountered. They are augmented when the boiler is fired at high ratings, at which times the disengagementsurface is violently agitated by the numberlessascending steam bubbles from the evaporating surfaces of the boiler. And, further, the forces tending to elevate the wateranddischarge it atthest'eam outlet are made more certain of action by the surging and splashing of the boiler water-asrthe -loco-- V motive lurches and rollsupon the rails and v at times when the brakes areapp'liedand with every sudden curve and change of grade. S'uch emotions: of the boilerthrow quantities of water into the steam space and result in slugging?"the dry pipeg theisuperheater, the valves and the engines, and even the auxiliary steam users} such as I the :air compressor and therheadi light turbine: areaffected.

The: maj or difficulties encountered have been described fat 'grea'ter' length than usual inIbrder' thatithe simpleconstructions in- 25 volvedin thisiinventio'nfmay be better ap- .preci ated and: more clearly understood;

DI-1e primary element of the present invention is: the part or 'str ucture to which I have given the name fpool. Iti's'in fact 'a-r'elative'lyiquiet po'o'l of boilerfwater, set 'asi'd'e or separated "ifro'm the major disengagement-sun face; This-pool is defined by i a substantially imip'erforate": encompassing wall that rises from v apjo'i-nt below the safe low "water "level inithei'bo'iier and extends nearly to the top of V thez boilerishell. This-pool is located around and beneath the steam outlet; .in this -ca'sedirectly ben'eathrithefsteam :dome;- A's vwill become-clear, the dip er the wall. into "the boiler seals ofl' the lower'rendioffthe:poolias a'steam entrance, JeXc-eptfor'such steam as may be disengaged :from the surface.- of the water lying within the pool itself. Thus theisteam must fin'd another path over *whichzto reach thetsteanrdome and-outlet: To. reach the lat-.

ter," the steam fromxthe maj or disengagementsurface must pass over'or' throughthe top of the pool defining: wall. Asiwill :be explained in F detail, 2 any; particles and imasses of. water that m'ay becarried by the steam are th'ere' cansed to a strike surfaces by which they; are thrown downfinto the 1300]. of water withinthe confinesof rthe venc-onup assing'. wall The steam havingsbeen: :freed of'rits burden of moisture rises freelyabovethe :poolz'andfpassesintothe dome; thence to enter thersteamvoutlet o r drypipe: The main volume of steam enters in the manner. A minor volume of L's-team,-

important in ii-ts reflects; risesdirectlywithin 'the pool'being: disengaged from theisur-face thereof.

From nth'el foregoingi should be: evident that: while' my "invention perhaps meets the greatest need .;in 1 the case of lecomoti've iboih ers;.=;it issalsegenerallyapplieable to' all, bofil-' ers and evaporating vessels, being well adapted for use wherevervapor 1s released from a disengagement surface of sufiicient extent to admit of this described subdivision and is so close to or insuch restricted communication with the steam outlet-'as'to requiredefinite measures to. preventthe carrying over of en.- trained moisture.

In the drawings, the above described steam po'olismarlr'ed']? andwillbe seen'to be defined by the encompassing "walll/V/ This wall is preferably-cylindrical, as well shown in Figs. 2 and 4. As there shown it is composed of vertically? separated curved sections; two of i these1212 meet above and below the drypipe 7. The pair "of sections -1313' are: at

thessides and the section l liisiatthe rearlside or end;oppositexthefstandpipe 8. Theeclges I ofnthe (sections "are joined bythe hereinafter described.hangers21iand a plurality of easily removableibolts22. "As access to the boiler here shown is gained through the dome;- all of the fastenings 2122' are placed upon the V inner side oft the :partor wall'Wgwand it :will be unde'rstood that the partW is :of such rgene; erou's' sizel as-toxeasily accommodatea man.

Theropen lower end 1170f the-'WallW (and 1 pool P )issomewhat above the fiuesz', to avoid wearion' the latter. The upper end of thelwall W closely approaches the under side ofthe boiler-rshellrxand is: there equipped with cir cular series: of: tangential tuyeres which lat ter 'constitute the main; steam entrance; and

will be described in detail. A sectionahsplash flange-1:9 iszpreiferably usediupon thereXterior' of the wall 1V just-'below thesaid tuyeres; I

Therdepending collar; or: sleeve QO-rhastwo important functions. It is spaced inwardly fromithe wall Wandforms'a ba'file whichpreventsthedirectpassage of the ste 'a-mfrom the tuyerelevelintothedome. Secondythesleeve the wall, WV', hangsy as through medium of aforesaid hanger bars 21. Except for thereasons :cited below, theupper GIIdSLO T thQ hang.- ers, 21, may be riveted or otherwise perma nent'ly fastened to the depending collar. Their lower' ends are attach'ed to thewallsecor collar 20 serves as asupportlfrom which tions by aforesaid keys or teases; As a rule The! two were arrangements are shown,

of an area that is preferably considerably larger than that of the steam outlet in the upper end of the drypipe 7. The generous tuyere openings give the needed moisture precipitating effect without organizing so forcible adownward movement of steam andwater as to materially agitate the surface of the pool. As before intimated, the moisture thus separated from the steam is retained in the pool while the freed steam moving toward the axis of the pool ascends quietly to the outlet. 1

The whirl promoting structure of Figs. 3

and/l is of the same vefl'ect as above described.

But it comprises a circular series of longitudinal tuyere blades 17 which form or define the many tangential tuyeres 18, all of which lead inward. In this form the tuyeres possess the capacity of promoting the described V whirling action of the steam and the throwing 5 down of the entrained moisture with less disturbance of the surface of the pool.

, Special attention is called to the fact that i the steam pool occupies only a very minor part of the disengagement surface. Further, thepool defining wall or structure is of such moderate width that it occupies only a minor part of the transverse section of the boiler.

Thus, the spaces S, S on opposite sides of the pool are left amply large to permit an inspector or workman to move along the tops of the fines from end to end of the boiler.

Generally, the surface VVL is in a very disturbed state, due to the ebullition of the water. And the water splashes heavily from side to side-and end to end when the locomotive is in motion. In consequence, the steam space S is filled with steam that usually is heavily overburdened with particles and masses of water. The burdened steam enters themany tangential tuyeres at the top of the pool and by virtue thereof is caused to swirl downward against the inner surface of the cylindrical pool wall. Thus the heavier water is caused to plunge into the relatively quiet water of the pool, leaving the steam free to rise into the dome with little if any burden of moisture.

Attention is called to the fact that the steam entrance tuyre openings at the top of the steam pool may be so restricted as even to wire-draw the steam. It is a question whether the downwardly deflecting action is or is not improved by restricting the capacity of the tuyereopening. The aggregate opening may be so restricted as to make its area little greater than the area of the throttle valve and drypipe- This notwithstanding the fact that an apparent drop of'pressure within the pool would cause the elevation of the surface of the water therein. Such elevation will not take place. Indeed, it is a feature of my invention to prevent a drop of pressure within the pool. This prevention is accomplished very simply, to wit: By the acceleratedjevaporation of steam from the surface of the pool ;a natural and inevitable result of any tendency toward a lower pressure within the pool. To the end that this feature of my invention shall be clearly understood, attention is again directed to the fact that the boiler is assumed to be in operation under steam and that the surface of the pool is no more than a part of the whole disengagement surface WL.

Various modifications and adaptations of my invention will readily suggest themselves to those who are skilled in the art of separating entrained moisture from vapors and I desire that it be definitely understood that my invention is not limited to the precise structures herein shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A boiler having a dome which contains the vapor outlet, in combination with a separable sectional whirl promoting pool structure hanging within the boiler, below said dome and accessible through the latter, said structure extending from the top of the boiler to a point below the liquid level in the boiler.

2. A boiler having a dome, in combination with a standpipe positioned in said dome and containing thevapor outlet, a whirl promoting pool structure surrounding said standpipe below said dome, the bottom of said .pool structure opening into the boiler at a point below the liquid level therein and detachable means for supporting said structure from the base of the dome and accessible from the interior thereof.

3. A boiler having a dome, in combination with a vapor outlet leading from said dome,v

a pool structure positioned beneath said dome, extending below the water level and enclosing a large portion of the steam disengagement surface in the boiler and centrifugal steam wringing means positioned at and forming the top of said pool structure.

4. A locomotive boiler having an opening in its top, a dome positioned above said opening, a dry pipe leading from the dome and downward through said opening, an annular wall structure of larger diameter than said opening and suspended from the top of the boiler co-axially with said opening, said structure extending downward to a point below the low water level in the boiler, and whirl promoting tuyeres disposed at the top of said structure, and said tuyeres, the space within said Wall structure, said opening and said dome constituting'the avenue throughwhi'c'h steamwithin the'boiler surrounding said Wall structure is conducted to s aid'dry pipe;

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set a my hand this 3rd' c 1ay-0f March, A. D. 1926.

CHARLES- GILBERT HAWLEY, I 

